Posts Tagged ‘purchasing decisions’
Tent Retired
It’s been more years than I can confidently tally, but I have been depending on my North Face Rock 22 tent for a long, long time. It wouldn’t surprise me to discover it’s been more than 20 years. In all those years, The North Face has stood behind their product and provided a replacement set of poles at no cost. When I sent the rain fly back for service to re-seal the seams, they replaced it with a new one for free. When the replacement came with flawed adhesion of the sealant tape, they replaced that one, too.
When I was cleaning the tent after our recent dubiously ended Katy Trail trip, close inspection uncovered wear and tear I hadn’t noticed before. In one spot, there was a series of small holes in the mesh that probably looked like a gaping invitation to enter from a mosquito’s perspective. The ground tarp has a hole in it now, too. Also, the original water repellent is starting to wear out.
In addition to the flaws beginning to appear, what this dated tent truly lacks is any innovation that has occurred in the time since this now-discontinued model was manufactured. That’s not this tent’s fault, but it does weigh on my decision to finally replace it.
What may have ultimately triggered me into action was the fact that Cyndie is collecting items to bring to our friends’ garage sale this weekend. With a convenient opportunity to offer this old model to some bargain hunter who would be happy to have it despite any flaws, it seemed like a good time to update my outdoor sleeping quarters.
Yesterday, I scanned options for lightweight tents that meet my specifications. There were a variety of candidates that looked enticing. I made a conscious effort to remain open to every design, regardless of the manufacturer.
Ultimately, I found myself too attached to the level of quality and laudable customer service I’ve received from The North Face over the years.
I was able to redeem the balance of my card rewards at REI to take the edge off the expense of a new North Face tent. They have earned themselves a return customer loyal to their brand. If this tent lasts another 20 years and protects me through just as many thunderstorms as the Rock 22 did, I’ll know that my decision was a good one.
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Purchasing Mistakes
My bike is in the hands of the professionals now. I dropped it off at the shop yesterday after receiving advice that I shouldn’t try messing with the drive components on my own to solve the annoying click when pedaling.
Since this will now be the third time I have brought this bike in with the same complaint, I am going to pressure the mechanic for as much detail as I can extract from whatever diagnosis he provides. I asked the person who wrote up my service ticket whether there is a known issue with this 2021 Trek bike model. He didn’t know, but said the head mechanic would review all related service bulletins to check.
When I picked this model of bike, I hoped it would be the last bike I would ever buy. I will be very sad if it turns out to have an unsolvable flaw.
It wouldn’t be the first purchasing mistake I’ve made. I’ve been wearing bike shoes that I bought a couple of years ago that have been too narrow for my feet, hoping that they would stretch out over time.
After trying a variety of seamless socks in the hope of eliminating painful pressure points, I finally decided to shop for a better-fitting (wider) shoe. Doubting the local stores would carry much selection, I tried shopping online. I ran into a surprising number of shoes that were either sold out or had limited sizes available.
While I was in the shop yesterday, I thought to ask about shoes. They had the half-size I was after in a model that suited me just fine. It was doubly rewarding to give my business to the local shop, and I was able to take advantage of discount points I had accrued as a member of their “fanatics” program. Plus, they have a 60-day comfort guarantee.
I’ve got two months to decide if this pair hurts my feet.
One other purchasing mistake I frequently regret was choosing the two-lever steering on the zero-turn mower instead of a steering wheel. I discovered right away that the many slopes I mow are a struggle with free-spinning front wheels. They offer a similar model to mine, but with a steering wheel that would have been the better choice.
Multiple thousand-dollar purchases are difficult to undo if you’ve waited too long to switch. One of these days, if I get as fed up with the mower rolling downhill when I don’t want it to as I did with my feet hurting in those narrow shoes, maybe I’ll just buy the version with a steering wheel and see if I can sell the old one to someone with flatter land.
Cyndie took a picture of storm clouds headed our way as she was driving home last evening. It got really blustery just as she arrived, but calmed considerably a short time later. I would describe it as more of a rain shower than a storm.
I’m sure glad I don’t have to purchase weather.
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Relative Something 